Getting paid for hacking companies legally

Be the first one to find a bug in a company’s platform/website, report it and get paid.

It really is as simple as that!

Companies like BugCrowd – also known as Bug Bounty Platforms – are essentially the middleman between big corporations and legal hackers.

Major companies like Alibaba, AT&T, DirectTV and others, sign up with these platforms. They then explain what they want and the reward they are willing to award to hackers who can find vulnerabilities in their system.

You (the hacker), on the other hand, sign up, browse the list of available Bug Bounty programs and pursue the ones you find interesting.

If you manage to find bugs, you report it through the system and if it turns out to be a real bug and you are the first to report it, you’ll get paid.

Example companies that reward hackers

Almost all major companies have some sort of bug bounty program where they pay hackers to find and report vulnerabilities in their system.

Here are a few examples of companies and the amount they pay for finding bugs in their program:

Pinterest: $50 – $1,500 per Bug

Dropbox: $216 – $4,913 per Bug

Jet.com: $25 – $2,500 per Bug

Western Union: $100 – $5,000 per Bug

CARD.com: $50 – $500 per Bug

Tesla: $10,000 per bug

Again, this is just a sample list. There are hundreds of companies, big and small, that run some sort of bug bounty programs.

Need Extra Cash for Free?

If you like getting paid for surveys, and are going to join only one site, I would recommend you choose Ipsos-iSay. Ipsos is the most fun and well-paying panel. Give it a try to see how you like it. It is free anyway!

Where to apply

4. Cobalt

And while they don’t have as many clients as the other big platforms, they do have decent bug bounties ranging from $100 to $1000.

Anyone can sign up for the program. But to become a Security Researcher (what they call the hackers,) you have to be invited to the security program and undergo a strict vetting process to become part of the Cobalt Core.

Example clients

Some of their clients include:

Weebly

Optimizely

LendInvest

Auctionata

Nexmo

Getting Paid

You can expect payment and feedback (from the companies you found and reported a bug to) within 30 days.

Where to apply

The bottom line

Whether you are a serious white-hat hacker or just an average technology/internet user, getting paid for hacking companies is as fun as it can get.

Bug bounty programs not only offer a great way to help the companies behind product and services you use and enjoy every day but also to earn some extra money while having fun trying to hack them legally.

Top Money Making Site of 2019

Want to make money quickly with surveys? GlobalTestMarket has the most available & high paying surveys (& it is free!)

Discussion

Hi, it\\\’s very useful article. Thanks .
Can you advice me, where to learn and get certificate for this white hat hackers course?
Waiting for your reply.
Once again thanks

Satrapsays

I don’t really have any experience when it comes to that. I think your best bet is doing some research online and asking about courses on a few white hat hacking related forums.

tommysays

do i have to be older than 15 or just the talent and do i need to be a white hat or is a grey hat fine to

Satrapsays

I think each company has different age limits. As far as Gray or White Hat, it doesn’t matter. In this case you are actually helping them so you technically a white hat hacker, at least while you are doing this.

Earn $50 per survey!

Join Vindale & get paid to review products and take surveys. Earn up to $50 per survey.